Webslingers Run Afoul of DirecTV, Sling Media
By Todd Spangler -- Multichannel News, 3/2/2007 11:55:00 AM
Internet company a2bTV worked up an innovative service that lets customers watch DirecTV programming delivered via Slingbox devices to any computer in the world with a high-speed connection.
There’s only one problem: The venture appears to be unauthorized.
For $99 per month, a2bTV claimed, it provides 185-plus DirecTV channels through Slingboxes hosted at its premises in Southern California. According to the company’s site, customers are supposed to subscribe separately to DirecTV, and a2bTV.com sets up and maintains the equipment for them.
But neither DirecTV nor Sling Media gave the go-ahead to sell such a service, and both companies said a2bTV appeared to be violating the terms of their subscriber agreements.
“We do not have a relationship with a2bTV.com,” DirecTV director of public relations Robert Mercer said, adding that the direct-broadcast satellite provider doesn’t permit subscribers to connect Slingbox devices to their DirecTV set-tops. But he said DirecTV has not “contemplated taking legal action” yet against a2bTV.
Meanwhile, Sling spokesman Brian Jaquet said the service a2bTV offers violates the Sling end-user license agreement, which specifies that users may not “lease, lend, rent or otherwise distribute the software to any third party.”
“We were not aware of this company,” he added. “I expect that we will be in contact with them soon.”
Nobody at a2bTV responded to e-mails requesting information sent to support@a2btv.com or sales@a2btv.com, the only e-mail addresses posted on its site. Messages left for “Greg” at the toll-free and 626-area-code phone numbers listed were also unreturned.
Starz Entertainment senior vice president of corporate communications Tom Southwick said the programmer wasn’t familiar with a2bTV and couldn’t comment on it. But, he added, “In general, we’re very aware of the copyright issues and the rights we’ve negotiated with the movie studios, and in the territories we can show them.”
For example, Starz’s Vongo Internet movie-rental service is accessible only within the United States. Vongo subscribers attempting to download movies from, say, England, would be blocked, Southwick said.
A2bTV’s site said its headquarters is in Cheyenne, Wyo., with data-center operations in Southern California, plus offices in Moscow and Tokyo.
In its “mission statement,” a2bTV said it “was founded by two like-minded individuals half a world apart. Our goal at a2bTV is to bring American television programming to expatriates and their families living abroad; anyplace, anytime, worldwide.”
-
www.parkmytv.com hosts place-shifting devices and users buy into a 'time-share' so they own part of the real-estate and their own hardware :)
James Clayjver - 12/18/2008 2:27:00 PM EST -
Trouble is, DirecTV no doubt hasa contract that only allows distribution in the USA. If local TV content is among the offerings from these Slinged DirecTV units, there could also be action taken by the Networks, where their local affiliates advertising content is bypassed by whatever local affiliate is being slinged.
Countries such as Canada have laws against cultural contamination by US programming. This is the two main areas where problems lie, plus both the program content providers and DirecTV are probably wondering how they can sink their teeth into a piece of the action.
Ronald John Leckfor - 6/7/2007 9:15:00 PM EDT -
Trouble is, DirecTV no doubt has contract that only allows distribution in the USA. If local TV content is among the offerrings from these Slinged DirecTV units, there could be action taken by the Networks, where their local affiliate advertising content is bypassed.
Countries such as Canada have laws against cultural contamination by US programming. This is the two main areas where problems lie, plus both the program content providers and DirecTV are probably wondering how they can sink their piece into a piece of the action.
Ronald John Leckfor - 6/7/2007 9:09:00 PM EDT -
I think this service sounds great. Besides, I don''''t think they are making a ton of money while risking alot for it. (Legal action) This is like when the record companies were against mp3s and people had no choice but to download songs from napster illegally. Then a little something called iTunes came along and changed everything. People overseas are probably using BT to get their shows now. But if services like this are made available, users won''''t download shows, they will Tivo them. The content owners should thank these guys because it discourages people from pirating content. I think anyone who has used a DVR and tried BTing knows that using Tivo to get your shows is a lot easier...not to mention guilt free. If content licensing is the great hurdle, then I think all cable networks in the US should talk to the content owners about global (non-US) subscriber licenses. Then Cox and DirecTV etc could have a global business base, not just the US.
George Lee - 6/7/2007 11:48:00 AM EDT -
Am I taking crazy pills or is this article totally off base?
"Our mission at a2bTV is to provide hosting services that allow our customers to access their television anyplace, anytime."
If the slingbox is legal and DirecTV is legal, then what can be illegal about helping customers of Slingbox and DirecTV view content that they have already purchased via a machine that they own on a one-to-one basis?
a2bTV does not seem to have a relationship with either DirecTV or Sling Media, rather a relationship with the customers of DirecTV and Sling Media, as does any ISP.
The logical conclusion of the premise of this article is that ANY ISP found to be used for the slinging of DirecTV content will "run afoul of DirecTV and Sling Media". This is patently absurd. Such activity is already happening on a massive scale with nary a peep.
Fred Tarvis - 3/5/2007 7:03:00 AM EST
No related content found.
Featured Company
-
Telestream
Telestream products are used by the world's leading media and entertainment companies and corporations for transcoding and workflow automation. Telestream helps customers transform their media for multiplatform distribution to web, mobile, DVD, cable VOD, podcast and broadcast pl..more
VIEW ALL GALLERIES
